Safeway Campaign

That’s a wrap on the 2016 Safeway Campaign! Thank you to the wonderful staff at Safeway and to everyone who donated $2 at the till in support of children and youth with disabilities in Manitoba. Funds raised during the campaign, which ran from June 29th – July 4th at all Safeway locations across Manitoba, will help support our “Children & Youth Recreation and Leisure” programs focused on active living, participation, and nutritional cooking/eating within our day/overnight camps.

The Celebrity Cook-Off for Kids! was an exciting campaign launch that took place on June 29th at the Madison Square Safeway store. The cook-off pitted local media personalities against one another in a culinary race in support of ability! The local media personalities (ie. the chefs!) who competed were Michelle Lissel (Global Winnipeg); Doug Speirs (Winnipeg Free Press); Nesta Matthews (KiSS 102.3) and Drew Kozub (KiSS 102.3). However, this was not an ordinary cooking competition! Chefs had to create a camp-inspired dish in 30-minutes without the use of any heating devices or electric tools. Also, to incorporate a disability component into the competition, chefs had to navigate the kitchen in a manual wheelchair.

After 30-minutes and one mystery ingredient later, Larry Tholl (Safeway), Jeremy Senaris (MasterChef Canada) and Wendy Onslow (SMD Alliance Board Member) were ready to judge the chefs’ creations! In the end, Doug Speirs took home the coveted title of Celebrity Cook-Off for Kids Champion!

1) While perspiring heavily, grab a bunch of edible ingredients, including a can of tuna, a can of peas, a handful of sultana raisins, some crushed Goldfish crackers, slivers of carrot, chunks of apple, several slices of banana, several large globs of mayonnaise, and a heaping handful of miniature marshmallows;

2) Combine all the ingredients in a plastic bowl, sprinkle with ground pepper and cinnamon because you once saw someone do that on the Food Network; mix it all together, trying not to inhale the potentially lethal fumes;

3) Seize several large zucchini, slice them in half with a tiny plastic knife, then hollow out the tubular veggies with a melon baller until, from your perspective, they resemble tiny canoes;

4) Spoon the mixture into the zucchini canoes, which are resting on a large lettuce leaf to simulate waves, and then top with a pretzel to represent a young camper who has been contorted into an uncomfortable position and sprinkled with salt;

5) Finally, when they call your name, roll over and present your dish, which you will claim is a sort of "salade niçoise in a tiny vegetable canoe," to a panel of expert judges, whose ranks include Winnipeg home chef Jeremy Senaris, the perky Season 3 runner-up on CTV’s MasterChef Canada.

FEEDING ABILITY

SMD Foundation/Easter Seals™ Manitoba, in partnership with Safeway Canada and Easter Seals™ Canada, is proudly involved in the Feeding Ability program. The Feeding Ability program is driven by donations made at Safeway locations across the country. In Manitoba, the funds raised through this program support children and youth with disabilities involved in recreation and leisure programs with a specific focus on active living, participation and nutritional cooking/eating within our day/overnight camps.

Since 2008, Safeway has raised over $1 million in support of children and youth with disabilities in Manitoba. Safeway continues to be an exceptional partner and supporter of our organization and we look forward to working with their wonderful staff for years to come.

We are truly grateful to Safeway for their long-standing commitment to SMD Foundation/Easter Seals™ Manitoba and to Manitobans with disabilities. We wish to thank all of the staff and management across the province for their efforts in helping us build opportunities for individuals of all abilities, both during the campaign and throughout the year.